In Depth: Legacy

This guide is an in depth, card by card look at the hero deck of Legacy. If you're new to the deck or you still haven't fully grasped all of his mechanics, this isn't a bad place to start.

Introduction & Classifications

Legacy is all about helping people, both as a character and mechanically as a hero. He has a few good damaging one-shots but what he excels at is controlling villain damage, and if you can get some healing behind him, you can give villains a real hard time of hurting heroes. Unfortunately, he can't control environment damage as well, but that sometimes isn't necessary.

No major clarifications to make here, other than pronouns, while talking about the deck I'll be using he/him/his, when talking about America's Newest Legacy, I'll switch to she/her.

Also, I say "Num: X" in the card descriptions, X is the amount of that card in the deck.

Oh, and shoutout to jagarciao for the hero icons I'm using, they can be found here: http://spiffworld.com/sotm/non-spiff.cfm along with some other cool print and use resources

Most Important Cards

Inspiring Presence

Ongoing, Limited
When this card enters play, each hero target regains 1 HP.
Increase damage dealt by hero targets by 1.
Num: 3

This is one of those cards that have little text but big impact, as increasing all hero damage can really impact the game in the long run, and it's measurable if you count the amount of times hero targets deal damage to non-hero targets (making sure not to count instances where it wouldn't matter) reduce that by the number of times hero targets damaged hero targets.

Take Down

Ongoing
Villain cards cannot be played.
At the end of your turn the villain target with the highest HP deals Legacy 2 Energy damage.
At the start of your turn, destroy this card.
Num: 2

Villain cards not being played is great, particularly when you know extra plays are coming. The damage is avoidable when played outside your turn, or with damage reduction effects. This gives a lot of breathing room, and stops all villains from playing cards in vengeance style. Works best when coupled with deck manipulation from Visionary, Parse or The Wraith.

Heroic Interception

Ongoing
When this card enters play, Legacy deals himself 3 Melee damage.
Hero targets other than Legacy are immune to damage.
At the start of your turn, destroy this card.
Num: 3

I see Heroic Interception get played less than Take Down, the 3 damage (look out for increases) feels a hefty price, and making everyone except Legacy immune to damage is very co-operative of him, but that's the point, this card is entirely about helping the other heroes and it works so much better with redirect effects like Stealth Bot (Unity) or Indomitable Force (Naturalist) as the targets that you'd redirect damage to are immune to damage, and with those ones you can redirect the self damage from the Interception as well.

Bolster Allies

One-Shot
Each player draws a card
Num: 3

Bolster Allies isn't in the most important cards section because it's among the most powerful cards in the deck, it's here because of what it says about the deck: Legacy isn't about punching things, Legacy is about protecting and helping people. As such he does his best work when drawing enemy fire. Outside of that, Bolster Allies is a great filler card for turns where you want to use a power but don't have another play in mind.

More Cards

The Legacy Ring

Equipment, Limited
You may use an additional power during your power phase.
Num: 2

The Legacy Ring is great when you can use it. A lot of the time Legacy doesn't have an additional power to use, but Captain Cosmic or The Tomb of Anubis can help out with that. Keep in mind that the order of your power uses can be important, but more on that later.

Motivational Charge

Ongoing, Limited
Power: Legacy deals 1 target 2 Melee damage. Each hero target regains 1 HP.
Num: 3

2 damage is pretty standard, but the important thing here is the healing, which is only really important if someone would be incapped otherwise. It's hard to evaluate mid-game, but if at the end, everyone is at more HP than you healed, then the healing was unnecessary. If you have The Legacy Ring out though, there's no reason not to though.

Next Evolution

Ongoing
Power: Legacy is immune to the damage type of your choice until the start of your next turn.
Num: 3

To use Next Evolution to the best of its ability you need to know what damage types the villain(s) and environment are able to do, or what type they are continuously doing currently. In digital, you can look through the decks at any time, I'll have a list of them in the Synergies section regardless for those who want to know while on table top. Besides that, this card works great with Twist The Aether (Visionary) because you get to choose what damage type the villain is doing. In combination with Lead From The Front (up next) you make all heroes immune to villain damage of a chosen type by proxy.

Lead From The Front

Ongoing, Limited
Whenever a hero target would be dealt damage by a villain card, you may redirect that damage to Legacy
Num: 3

Lead From The Front combos well with Next Evolution, it also combos with damage reduction effects (see below) such as those given by Captain Cosmic's Energy Bracer. You can also use it to funnel all villain damage to Xtreme Prime Wardens Haka, which can nullify all damage with the right setup. Otherwise Lead From The Front can be used to save heroes in danger from incapacitation for just a little longer.

Superhuman Durability

Ongoing, Limited
Whenever Legacy would be dealt 5 or more damage from a single source, reduce that damage by 3.
Num: 2

Superhuman Durability is one of the few cards that has 2 copies instead of 3, mainly because 5 or more damage at once doesn't come up all that often, but when it does and you have Lead From The Front out, you get to seriously dampen villains.

Fortitude

Ongoing, Limited
Reduce damage dealt to Legacy by 1.
Num: 3

Fortitude is great for absorbing 1 damage hits with Lead From The Front, general survivability and stacking with Superhuman Durability.

Danger Sense

Ongoing
Legacy is immune to damage from environment cards.
Num: 3

The ability to mostly ignore environment cards is great in a lot of cases, it doesn't work with Lead From The Front though, so it's quite hard to protect your allies from the environment with Legacy. You can't ignore things like the Mars Base Countdown however, so watch out for those.

Surge Of Strength

Ongoing, Limited
Increase damage dealt by Legacy by 1.
Num: 3

Increasing Legacy's damage is mostly only useful for his One-Shots (see below). Occasionally I find that stuff is making my heroes hurt themselves and that makes me not want play things like Surge Of Strength, and a lot of the time there's better, but if you have nothing else, you may as well get it into play.

"Thokk!"

One-Shot
Legacy deals 1 target 3 Melee damage.
Draw a card.
Num: 3

A lot of the time, "Thokk!" is played for the draw rather than the damage, but 3 damage isn't all that bad most of the time, but again, damage is not Legacy's primary concern most of the time.

Back-Fist Strike

One-Shot
Legacy deals 1 target 4 Melee damage.
Num: 2

Back-Fist Strike isn't the greatest one-shot in the game, Ra and Tempest have a one-shot each that do 5 damage. This is another point to the "don't do damage" approach for legacy.

Flying Smash

One-Shot
Legacy deals up to 3 targets 3 Melee damage each.
Num: 2

Flying Smash is the big damage card for Legacy. The first comparison I can think of for it is The Wraith using Throwing Knives with Micro Targeting Computer. 9 damage in a one-shot is amazing, and the spread on it can be super useful.

Variants

America's Finest Legacy: Galvanize (32 HP)

This Legacy works best with more heroes than with less. Increasing damage dealt by 4 heroes leads to a lot more damage. But be wary of heroes who hurt themselves or "don't play well with others" such as Tachyon (Pushing The Limits (arguably worth it)), Nightmist, or KNYFE. If you are in a 3 player game, you may want to consider using a different Legacy.

America's Newest Legacy: Atomic Glare (30 HP)

Commonly referred to as Young Legacy, this variant has one of the immediately more powerful base powers, dealing 3 damage compared to the standard 2. This Legacy is much better suited to smaller games and those where damage is needed immediately for things like The Chairman's Informant.

America's Greatest Legacy: Gung-Ho (30 HP)

Commonly referred to as "Grandpa Legacy" this one is a combo player, all about giving allies extra powers for maintaining or completing sweet combos. You can give the extra power to yourself though, and I've heard people not like playing with him on the team because he sometimes mostly gives it to himself. Those Legacy players should learn to share.

Freedom Five Legacy: Overwatch (32 HP)

Personally, I think this Legacy has too much power, but regardless if you want to completely ignore Start of Turn Environment effects and "When this card is destroyed" Environment effects and "Do this thing to destroy this environment card" effects, this is the Legacy for you. With the added option of extra plays for anyone if something nice comes out of the environment instead, you can get The Legacy Ring and an additional power out on the first turn (and use that additional power too)

Synergies

America's Finest Legacy (that's Galvanize) works very well with heroes who hit for little damage but very often, given the ability to have all those hits increased by 2 (Galvanize and Inspiring Presence). In particular, Chrono-Ranger, who deals 1 target 1 projectile damage every time he so much as sneezes, and those who deal a lot of area damage like Tachyon, Tempest and Absolute Zero, who appreciates increased healing as well as increased damage. Keep in mind that if extra powers are being thrown around, remember that Galvanize is only useful if damage is dealt after its use. Try to add up how much damage will be increased and see if you could instead do more than that with a different power. An example is a choice between Grievous Hailstorm and Galvanize: While you could get an extra Galvanise in before you Grievous Hailstorm, you could alternatively just use Grievous Hailstorm twice for more damage instead.

General synergies for avoiding damage include having Captain Cosmic for Energy Bracers, Visionary for Twist The Aether, The Wraith for dual Stun Bolts and The Argent Adept for Counterpoint Bulwark.

For Next Evolution here are all the damage types you need to think about:

• Akash'Bhuta: Melee, Psychic, Projectile
  
• Ambuscade: Melee, Energy, Projectile, Fire, Sonic
  
• Apostate: Melee, Infernal
  
• Baron Blade: Melee, Fire, Energy, Lightning, Projectile, Toxic, Sonic (Most occurences: Melee)
  
• La Capitán: Projectile, Melee, Psychic, Energy, Fire, Lightning, Toxic
  
• The Chairman: Melee, Projectile
  
• Chokepoint: Energy, Projectile, Melee, Psychic, Lightning
  
• Citizen Dawn: Fire, Energy, Melee, Cold, Psychic
  
• Deadline: Melee, Fire, Cold, Infernal, Energy
  
• The Dreamer: Psychic, Energy, Melee, Toxic, Infernal
  
• The Ennead: Fire, Cold, Lightning, Melee, Infernal, Psychic (Hero Self Damage only), Projectile
  
• Gloomweaver: Toxic, Infernal, Fire, Melee, Psychic
  
• Grand Warlord Voss: Projectile, Toxic, Fire, Cold, Lightning, Energy, Sonic, Psychic
  
• Infinitor: Projectile (Base Variant Only), Energy, Psychic, Fire
  
• Iron Legacy: Melee, Projectile, Toxic, Psychic (Hero Self Damage only)
  
• Kaargra Warfang: Fire, Lightning, Melee, Infernal, Sonic, Energy, Cold, Toxic, Psychic (All Self Damage)
  
• Kismet: Psychic. Melee, Energy (Hero-Hero), Projectile, Fire (Regular Variant: Challenge),
• Energy (Trickster Variant)
  
• Matriarch: Toxic, Projectile, Psychic, Sonic
  
• Miss Information: Sonic (Hero Self Only), Psychic, Cold, Lightning, Melee, Energy
  
• Omnitron: Lightning, Melee, Projectile, Energy
  
• Plague Rat: Melee, Toxic
  
• Progeny: Energy, Radiant, Cold, Toxic, Fire, Lightning
  
• Spite: Psychic, Energy, Infernal, Projectile Melee (Variant Only)
  
• Wager Master: Psychic, Fire, Melee, Energy

Vengeance Style:

• Ambuscade: Melee, Projectile, Fire, Energy, Lightning, Toxic
  
• Baron Blade: Melee, Psychic, Energy, Toxic, Infernal, Lightning
  
• Biomancer: Psychic, Melee, Projectile, Lightning, Energy
  
• Bugbear: Melee, Psychic (Hero Self Damage), Infernal, Projectile
  
• La Capitán: Energy, Melee, Psychic (Hero Self Only)
  
• Citizens Hammer & Anvil: Fire, Melee
  
• Ermine: Melee, Projectile, Infernal
  
• Friction: Melee, Energy, Projectile, Lightning
  
• Fright Train: Melee, Projectile, Energy, Lightning
  
• Greazer: Energy, Fire, Melee, Projectile, Sonic, Lightning
  
• Miss Information: Psychic, Melee, Energy, Fire
  
• The Operative: Toxic, Melee, Projectile
  
• Plague Rat: Lightning, Melee, Toxic
  
• Proletariat: Melee, Infernal, Toxic, Fire, Energy (Unity), Projectile
  
• Sergeant Steel: Projectile, Fire

Environments "Non-environment damage" to look out for:

• Court of Blood: Infecting an Heir (Infernal)
  
• MMFFoC&C: You Won't Believe Your Eyes (Psychic) and Gone Without a Trace (Infernal)
  
• Realm of Discord: Spinning Vortex (Sonic)
  
• Rook City: Dr. Tremata and Tony Taurus (Melee)

Summary & Conclusion

If you want a really effective tank who can buff all hero damage a bunch, Legacy is a great hero for that, who can pick up some spare damage later in the game, if it comes to that. Frequently I bring Legacy with Visionary to go for a lockdown on a single target villain. Most of the time the specific variant you bring with Legacy doesn't matter, but can lead to minor adjustments in efficiency.

[mlangsdorf]

Legacy doesn't have a lot of combos entirely within his own deck, but you missed one of the interesting but slightly self contradictory ones: Supernatural Durability, Fortitude, Inspiring Presence, and Surge of Strength let Legacy play Heroic Interception for only 1 damage. The +2 damage boosts raise the Heroic Interception damage enough that Supernatural Durability kicks, reducing it back down to 2. It's not a combo worth building up for, but if you've got the other cards out it's a nice little benefit.